Villagers in Ward 17’s peri-urban area, Robert Sinyoka, continue to bear the brunt of impassable roads, despite local mining companies having provided materials for the rehabilitation of the roads.
The villagers lamented that heaps of sand have been lying by the roadside for the past six months after being donated by the mining companies, together with fuel and some yellow equipment to assist in the roadworks.
Community leaders told CITE in an interview that the quarry mining companies in their area, Haulin and ZADA, provided the materials needed to carry out the roadworks, but the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has not played its part in rehabilitating the roads.
According to city by-laws, private entities are prohibited from conducting any form of roadworks without formal clearance from the council, and anyone who carries out road repairs without authorisation risks criminal charges or fines under the Roads Act [Chapter 13:18].
Read: https://cite.org.zw/seek-permission-first-before-embarking-on-road-repairs-bcc-in-latest-warning/
Vice Chairperson of the Village Development Committee (VIDCO) for Robert Sinyoka, Richard Thebe, raised concerns that the road connecting Robert Sinyoka, Mazwi and St Peter’s has remained impassable, with heaps of sand lying by the roadside.
“This road has taken too long to be fixed. The only thing that is outstanding is for the council to come and spread the sand to level it. This is a huge loss to the people who provided this sand because a greater portion of it has been stolen by sand poachers,” Thebe complained.
“There was a grader that was supplied by the mine company, and the city council was supposed to do the rest of the work, but that did not happen. Initially, the mine company had brought the grader with fuel, and the city council came to do a portion of the work. After that, there was no more progress. The owner ended up taking his equipment back because it was not being utilised.”
Thebe said the sand has attracted the attention of sand poachers, who have stolen a significant portion of it, leaving the villagers worried about how they will replace it.
“We have since approached the city council, asking them to deploy rangers to safeguard this sand, especially at night,” he said.
“If there can be a team that is dedicated to guard overnight, searching all the lorries that loiter around this place to ensure they are not stealing the sand. This sand is different from the other pit sand they get elsewhere. The people who donated it to us actually contributed money because it is of high quality.”
Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) Vice Chairperson for Ward 17, Nothando Ndiweni, accused the city council of lacking the will to complete the roadworks.
“All this sand and the resources that have been brought here were donated by the mining companies around us. The only thing that the council is supposed to do is to come and spread the sand,” she said.
“What we want is for the council to clear the miners to at least spread the sand because they (council) keep telling us that they do not have resources. This sand will be finished by poachers stealing it.”
BPRA Organising Secretary for Ward 17, Nqobizitha Moyo, echoed the same sentiments, saying villagers may end up blaming community leaders for failing to coordinate development efforts.
“What is astonishing is that now the year is almost coming to an end, with all these heaps of sand still lying by the roadside. We are really concerned as residents that when we talk about development in our community, we find other people pulling back,” he said.
“This road connects Robert Sinyoka, Mazwi and St Peter’s, and this is giving a bad reflection to the people. It makes us look like we are not organised as community leaders.”
Another villager, Maxwell Chamutala, complained that the roads are impassable and even cyclists are struggling to ride their bicycles because of the bumps. He said with the beginning of the rainy season, the state of the roads will deteriorate further.
“These roads are bad even for us who ride bicycles; they are bumpy and uneven. I can’t ride for a long distance lest I risk falling. I end up pushing the bicycle, defeating the whole purpose. The other day, the front wheel of my bicycle came off while I was cycling,” he said.
“We even struggle with public transport because of the nature of our roads. They particularly get worse during the rainy season. Like now, the rains have already started, it is only a matter of time before they get worse. What is more worrying is that all this sand will be washed away and go to waste.”
The city council had not responded to questions sent to them about the matter at the time of publication.
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